England add Scott Borthwick and James Tredwell to Ashes squad

December 23, 2013 12:50 IST

Leg-spinner Scott Borthwick and off-spinner James Tredwell have been added to the England Test squad for the remainder of the Ashes series following Graeme Swann's surprise retirement, the country's cricket board said on Monday.

Swann, 34, announced his retirement midway through the series on Sunday, days after England surrendered the coveted urn in the third Test in Perth to fall 3-0 behind in the five-Test series.

Durham leg-spinner Borthwick, 23, is expected to arrive in Melbourne on Monday and will be available for selection for the Boxing Day Test starting on Thursday, the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement.

The 31-year-old Tredwell, who played his only Test for England in March 2010 against Bangladesh, will join the squad during the fourth Test and will be available for selection for the fifth and final match in Sydney, starting on Jan. 3.

Swann, who took 255 wickets in 60 Test matches for England, said his body was no longer up to the rigours of long-form cricket and that it would be selfish for him to stay in a team that needed to rebuild.

Left-arm spinner Monty Panesar is the other slow bowler in England's Ashes squad.